Ducklings!.......

[cat woman]

Where I work there is a pond, I've only been working there for 2 months so over that time I've noticed the gathering of ducks, so me being a big softie has been feeding them. At the beginning of the week I noticed that there weren't so many about, then today along came mum and dad with 12 ducklings in tow, my heart melted when I saw them, as usual I gave them bread which I keep in my car, I was a quite worried afterwards because I thought the ducklings might choke, so I went to "Pets At Home" and bought special Duck and Swan feed. I'm lookng forward for tomorrow to feed them, ( "I must get out more", you are all thinking!) Has anyone else done this sort of kind act to wild life or I'm getting extra soft in my old age!............ xxx :-)

[shaneystar2]

No....when we lived in London we had a lovely flood meadow nearby. It was there in case the Wandle burst it's banks or the brooks running through it. We had loads of urban foxes there which were very tame. My neighbour and I used to feed them and cook specially for them ! I used to go in the Co-op and buy cheap turkey breast and roast it for them . Here is my pet fox....you can just see him under the tree.
Have now moved to Norfolk and not a fox to be seen.I do miss them.

http://i2.tinypic.com/smvlf4.jpg

[PatriciaH]

I feed the ducks on the canals...the way they "paddle like the clappers" for food is funny,quacking away, i heard bread isnt "good" for them, what else do they eat? staple diet, anyone know? so your not alone with the feeding of the ducks cat woman :)

[cat woman]

How sweet shaneystar2, I think foxes have such a raw deal, it was lovely to learn you cared for them, I think all animals wild or tame are gods creation and should be cared for, lovely photograph, did you ever give the fox a name. xxx :-)

Hi PatriciaH, Thats what I love about the ducks I feed, I'm sure they know me now, they come waddling over, quacking away, so sweet! xxx :-)

I'm so pleased I'm not alone, I was beginning to worry about myself!........... xxx

[shaneystar2]

Hi again cat woman ..I just used to call them all the same...Mr Foxy !!

[shaneystar2]

Now you will think I am completely daft ....we used to have frogs in the garden although we didn't have a pond and I used to feel sorry for them..they must have come from the meadow..so used to put water over them from a little watering can ! And ..gather up slugs for them !
My pet frog

http://i2.tinypic.com/smwxhf.jpg

[PatriciaH]

Shaney, i hope you didnt "watch" them eating their dinner...lol

[spudqueen]

I work in an animal feeds shop and we have a woman who works at the local hospital who comes in to buy food for the ducks on the pond there, so you're not the only one!

[gessoo]

You daft lot!! I am just the same as the lot of you. I even go in the field behind our house when the snow is on the ground and put carrots out for the wild rabbits. My neighbour gets so furious with me encouraging them. They eat her garden plants!!!

[WendyS]

No, you're not going soft at all. Join the club. We feed all our local wildlife too.. Like Shaneystar, we also feed our local foxes (especially Limpy, our injured vixen). We creep out every night after dark and give them chicken wings and tinned pet food so the neighbours don't see what we're doing. The trouble is, they bring all their friends to this cafe, and during mating time their night time howling and shrieking keeps everybody awake for miles around. And I go round the garden digging up worms for all the frogs too!

[gessoo]

Bad picture, but these are some of my wild rabbits under the bird table

Rabbits

[Stormwolf]

My wife and I love feeding Ducks, Gulls, garden birds etc, even our local Jackdaws dont go without although they do tend to pig out on everyone elses food. It is great what the great British public do and we are al the more human for it.

I have a very unusual habit as well, probably disgusting to many folk but then I am a Pagan.

When I see road kill if I can pick it up safely I do, I then take it to local Fox haunts. Two things...1 is it helps prevent other creatures being hit as they feed on the dead remains and 2...it adds to my local reputation as that weird Pagan bloke!

I am now in my 50's and have been an animal lover all my life!

[lankeela]

Bread is ok especially if you drop it into the water to soak it - mind you it won't be there long!

Just buy mixed corn, it is cheaper than the 'Duck and Swan food' and they will still eat it.

They don't really need feeding, they wouldn't have set up home there if there was not enough natural food around for them. It is good fun though watching them barge each other out of the way to get it.

[lankeela]

Just to add to the above, brown bread is best, don't ever give them mouldy bread as botulism can kill them.

For the duckling, chick crumbs are ideal.

[Thunderbird+]

I used to be known as lord of the wings in my local park, I would stop off at a bakers every day, buy myself something to eat and the staff would always give me a bag of crumbs from the bread slicer, which i would take to the park and feed the ducks and geese, one day a proud young gosling strutted over, stepped on my foot and snatched a cornish pasty right out of my hand.

One thing I've noticed lately, since the bird flu scare, people feeding birds in the park have been conspiouus by their absence, no longer do you see nearly as many mums and kids carrying whole loaves of white bread, and you know what ? the ducks have never looked healthier!! Canada geese no longer arrive in huge numbers and shovlers, tuffted duck and pochard seem more common.

[cat woman]

What lovely kind ABer's we have, Hi shaneystar2, I thought you were going to to say that you called your fox "Bazil", great photo of the frog, my next door neighbour has a pond and we get alot of frogs in our garden in the summer, I'm forever saving them from my cats as they like to play with them the noise they make is heart rending, they really squeal.

Hi gessoo, On the drive to work there is wild rabbits on the grass verges, as I drive past them, I say out loud, "now you stay there, keep safe" but as you can guess it doesn't happen, it upsets me to see road kills, no matter what animal it is. Sweet photo by the way.

Hi Thunderbird+, I had a real laugh when you said about the gosling nicking your lunch!........

I fed the ducks and their babies yesturday, they were all in the pond, I took my camera to work and have taken some photo's of them, once I've down loaded them onto the computer I will post them up. Thank you all for your posts, I'm so relieved that I wasn't alone in caring for our wild life. Bless you all. xxx :-)